Honduran Anti-Tobacco Law in Effect

On Monday, February 21st, a law prohibiting smoking in enclosed public and private places came into effect.

The law prohibits smoking in open places less than 15 meters away from where a nonsmoker is located.

Ron Portillo, director of the Institute for Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, said that the values of the fines can be up to $ 311 for individuals and up to $ 6.300 for businesses which allow smoking.

"The law also set a 60 day deadline for tobacco companies to withdraw advertising from the media and forces them to display images of the effects of lung cancer on cigarette packs," reports the article in Laprensa.com.ni.

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Congress has passed the Tabacco Control Act, which regulates advertising and tabacco consumption.

The new law prohibits smoking in public places (workplaces, public transport, health centers, etc.) and regulates the sale and advertising of cigarettes. Fines have been established for those who violate the law.

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador has lifted president Funes 's veto of the law regulating the advertising, marketing and consumption of tobacco, and protecting non-smokers.

An article by Amadeo Cabrera in Prensagrafica.com reported that at the end of the vote and amid applause, the president of Congress, the president of the Assembly and the deputy of the FMLN Siegfried Reyes declared: "56 votes in favor, zero votes against, five abstentions. Therefore, legislative decree number 771, by which the Law on Tobacco Control was issued, has been ratified and should follow the process established by the Constitution. "

President Funes has vetoed a law intended to prohibit smoking in public places.

Inconvenient and detrimental to business is how President Funes categorized the law which had been adopted in the legislature of June 23.

According to Funes, the implementation of the regulation could affect economic activity in various sectors, both in the restrictions on commercialization and also those affecting to advertising and promotion.